Heel-seat trimming machine



Nov. 22, 1932. H. GORDON 1,888,722

HEEL SEAT TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Sept. l6, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l Hiram Gardozz NOV. 22, 1932. GORDQN 1,888,722

HEEL SEAT TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 16, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet I 2 gin newton ,Fik d122 '6' 0212022 Patented Novl22, 1932 HIRAM GORDON, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO PATENT OFFICE HEEL-SEAT TRIMMING MACHINE Application filed September 16, 1930. Serial No. 482,227.

This invention relates to machines for use in the manufacture of shoes and is herein embodied in a heel-seat fitting machine.

In the manufacture of shoes of certain 5 types, especially womens shoes having woodon heels, it is customary to trim surplus stock from the peripheral portion of the heel-seat of the soles of the shoe to impart to the sole theproper convex shape to fit into the concavity formed in the top of the wooden heel which is to be attached. This trimming or bevelling operation, which is commonly called heel-seat fitting,,'has until recently been done entirely by-hand,' but it is now to some extent performed by machines. United States PatentNo. 1,7 40,667, granted December 24:, 1929, an application of A. C. Rogge et al., shows a machine of this kind for performing this operation. This patented machine, which is 23 herein illustrated, employs a reciprocatory cutting blade for trimming or bevelling'the heel portion of the sole so that it will conform to the meeting concave surface of the heel. This machine, however, due to the particular arrangement and shape of the cutting blade which reciprocates in a substantial horizontal plane cannpt be used satisfactorily for performing the operation of cutting or severing the surplus stock transversely at a point in- 39 dicating the breast line of the heel but leaves portions of the material or surplus stock which has to be trimmed by a hand operation. 7

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate this hand operation and to provide a machine with cutting means for severing the waste material so as to insure uniform and accurate fitting of theheel upon the sole of the shoe, e al to or better 'than that done by skilled handworkers and with far greater 40 speed. This operation may also be performed without sacrificing to any appreciable extent the speed of machine operation and in a manner which will permit unskilled workers to produce satisfactory work.

Another object of the invention is to improve the above mentioned patented machine, which is herein illustrated, by providing the same with anattachment consisting ofaverr tically arranged reciprocatory cutting blade and guide means with which the shoe sole 'ly to be attached to the shoe, and to permit engages and which serves to place and hold the sole in proper position during the cutting operation and removal of the waste material from the heel portion of the sole.

A further object resides in the provision of an attachment in the nature of secondary cutting means for the-patented machine above mentioned and which attachment may be readily secured for operation to the machine without altering any of its parts and which 6 will operate and be controlled by the same mechanism as that of the primary cutting means of the said machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved machine for trimming the edges of the rear portions of the sole so as to form a heel seat of a" length corresponding exactly to that of the heel seat surface of an unattached heel such as that subsequentthis operation to: be carried out expeditious-' 1y, economically and without injury to any portion of the shoe during the trimming or cutting operation.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination of elements and arrangements of parts hereinafter to be fully described and pointed out in the appended claims. y

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the heel seat trimming machine comprising the present invention,

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure '1,

Figure 3 is a detail fragmentary view showing the beginning of the heel bevelling operation performed by the primary cutting blades,

Figure 4 is a similar view showing an and vanced stage of the operation,

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken'on the line 55 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the secondary cutting .mechanism showing the same in the operation of trimming the heel seat,

Figure 7 is a plan view of the structure disclosed in Figure 6 showing more in detail the 10.

' section 2.

" v surrounds the split end of the latter being relation between the cutting blade and material to be severed, and

Figure 8 is a perspective view'of the finished heel seat. a The illustrated machine comprises a stationary frame designated by the numeral 1, which may be supported or mounted in any desired manner. The upper. end of the frame terminates in an inverted U-section 2, in which is slidably mounted a plunger 3, the

arranged for reciprocation within a bearing 4 provided in one leg of the frame In this instance. one end ofthe pivotallyconnected as at 5' with a crank arm 6, this arm being, in turn, eccentrically connected .as at 7 to one side of a belt wheel8. The belt wheel 8 is supported for rotation in connection with the frame and driven as by a belt 9 leading from any suitable prime mover (not shown).

The forward end of the plunger 3 is longitudinally split to removably receive the inner end of a Hat, horizontally extending, flexible cutting blade 10. A clamping sleeve 11 plunger 3 and is provided with a tightening screw 12 by which the blade 10 is securely held with the plunger, for reciprocatory movement in .unison therewith. The vertical face of the inner leg of the section 2 has attached thereto an angle bracket 13, the horizontal extending plunger is arms of which carry in an adjustable manner a a plate 14 which in turn has its outer end pro- P I vided with a disk-like work positioning member 15. This member. horizontally disposed is provided with a flat,

is arranged immediately beneath but parallel to the plane of the blade 10. The sides of the disk are curved or bevelled carefully 'to form the disk withva thin protruding surface, which is adapted to penetrate between the insole and outsole of the shoe. The disk itself is rotatably'supported upon the plate 14. in order tha-tthe disk maybe revolved about a' substantially vertical axis. It will be seen that by adjusting the relative position of the bracket 13 and the plate 14 with relation to each other and to the frame structure the op erative position of the work positioning disk may be readily controlled to adapt the apparatus to desired working positions. h

' The blade'lO which is slidably supported wi thin e bearings 16 secured to the outer leg of the section 2 is provided with inclined upper surfaces'17, which providesparallel, razor-like cutting edges on their opposite sides thereof, which edges are ordinarily positionedbetween the outer bearing and the work positioning disk 15 so that by the rapidreciprocatory motion of the cutting blade, during the operation pf the machine, the outer sole of the shoe may be trimmed or bevelled around its peripheral portion in a rapid and effective manner as disclosed more upper surface whichv particularly in Figures 3 and 4 ofthe draw mgs. I

-All of the foregoing parts, the actuating mechanism, the

seats at this-end be out accurately to conform exactly to the breast line of the heel in order to give the shoe a neat and finished appearance, and it is to attain this result, that the present invention is directed. The nature of cutter and the operation per-- formed thereby, are illustrated as functioning this improvement is now to be hereinafter described in detail. I

Arranged spaced from the cutter blade 10 and mounted for operation at a position forward of and between the outer and inner legs of theU-shaped sections 2, is a secondary cutting mechanism which is designated gen erallyby the letter Forming a part of this mechanism is a rigid blade 18 which is vertically positioned forreciprocatory motion and has its lowerend formed with a cutting edge or point 19, and its upper'end d1sosed within a recess 20 formed in the vertical leg 21 andan angular bracket member 22.. The horizontal leg 23 of this member is in turn positioned within a recess 24 provided in the upper surface of the sleeve 11 and is held securely therein by means of the screw 12. Thus it will'be seen that, as the plunger 3 is operated to reciprocate the blade 10,' the blade 18' will also move in unison therewlth. To slidably support the outer end of the bracket member 22, a guide 25 is provided which is formed with an open ended slot 26 constituting the bearingfor the mem ber 22, and has its other end clamped to the upper end of a stud 27 stationarily mounted upon the frame structure 1.

Positioned adjacent to the rear of the cutting blade 18 and in horizontal alignment with the cutting edge 19 thereof,.is a horizontally arranged work positioning plate 28 which is securely held in a stationary position within a recess 29 formed in the under surface of the angle bracket 13 and held clamped therein by means of the fastening screw 30. The work positioning plate 28 is of a greater width than the blade 18 and provided on its forward end with a bevelled edge portion 31 which terminates in a flat upper The method and operation of forming the heel-seat on the shoe sole is as followszThe workman places a loose heel on the shoe and marks on the sole of ,the shoe the position of the breast line of the heel. The heel is then removed and the shoe is placed against the Work positioning disk 15 and is held in engagement therewith by manual pressure ex erted by the operator. In positioning the shoe against the disk 15, the construction of the machine is such that the thin perimeter of the disk enters and slightly forces apart the marginal portion of the outer sole from In order to effect the vertical adjustment of the cutting blade 18 with respect to the edge 31 of the plate 28, the same is formed with an elongated slot 86. Similarly the horizontal leg 23 of the angular bracket 22 is provided with a slot 37 permitting. the bracket and the blade 18 carried thereby to be moved in ahori zontal direction towards or away from the outer bevelled edge of the plate 28. This ad justment is particularly desirable in that the relation between the edges of the cutting blade and plate may thus be varied to suit soles of different thicknesses.

the inner sole or upper. Then upon the move-' From the foregoing it will be seen that by ment of the shoe rearwardly'or in a direction toward the cutting blade 10, as indicated more particularl in Figure 3, brings the marginal portion of the outsole into contact with the cutting edge of the blade 10 producing a bevelled edge upon the sole. The cut made by the blade extends to the mark 33 from the sole whereby the shoe is removed from out of engagement with the blade or revolved in a clockwise direction to a position indicated in Figure 4, until the blade again reaches the breast line mark. The greater portion of the waste material thus left by the blade may be sliced ofi? by the latter upon the removal of the shoe therefrom leaving tabs 34 upon the heel portion which are joined with the sole at the breast line 33.

To cut off these tabs, the shoe is transferred to the second cutting mechanism A where the shoe is so positioned thatthe heel portion thereof is beneath the plate 28 and the bevelled edge portion 31 thereof positioned under one or both of the tabs 34:. The shoe is then moved manually in a direction laterally of the edge 31 and into engagement with the blade 18. During this movement of the shoe, the latter is held firmly in contact with the plate 28 and due to the bevelled edge 31 the tabs 34 are raised slightly into contact with the cutting edge 19 of the blade 18 and are thus severed by the reciprocatory action of the blade. The operator at this secondary as well as the primary cutting operation will, of course, guide the shoe during its travel under the cutting blade so that the cut is made exactly on the breast line mark 33.

It will be noticed. that the cutting edge 19 of the blade 18 is somewhat rounded and that the cutting edge extends on each side of the point causing the blade to cut in both directions upon its reciprocatory movement. It is also to be observed that upon the turning of the shoe so that the cut is made on the curved breast line mark 33, the leading side of the cutting edge 19 will follow the line to produce a clean cut shoulder with which the breast surface of the heel will engage when attached. The other side of said edge tends to move away from the shoulder preventing the latter from being cut in a agged manner by the cutting blade.

the present invention a. machine has been provided which embodies fundamentally a primary cutting blade supported for reciprocatory movement and which in connection with a work positioning disk member operates to form a bevelled peripheral edge upon the heel portion of a shoe sole. The machine also includes a secondary cuttingblade for cutting oil the waste portion of the material produced by the primary cutting blade. This blade also cooperates with a work positioning member which serves \to guide the shoe into proper position enabling the blade to form a clealn cut shoulder at the breast line of the bee blades a complete heel-seat-is provided upon the heel portion of the out'sole which requires no other operation to be performd thereon but is ready for the attachment of the heel.

WVhile I have described my invention in connection with a machine of the type shown in the Rogge et a1. patent, it is not my intention to limit its scope thereby, or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a cutting blade for severing the waste stock material transversely at a point indicating the breast lineof the heel of the shoe following an edge bev'elling operation on the sole around the heel area thereof, said machine including a reciprocatory blade holder, means for securing the blade to said holder in a substantially vertical position with its cutting edge at the lower end thereof, a station-' By the provision of the two cutting being formed to be inserted between the sole of the shoe and the previously cut waste stock thereof which stock will thus be positioned above said edge, means for reciprocating said blade in a horizontal plane, whereby upon the movement of the shoe along said edge in a direction towards said blade, the latter will sever said waste stock material.

2. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes havinga cutting blade for severing the Waste stock material transversely at a point indicating the breast line of the shoe following an edge bevelled operation on the and blade in a horizontal plane,

' sole around the heel seat area thereof, said machine including a reciprocatory holder, means for securing the blade to said holder in a substantially vertical position with its cutting edge at the lower end thereof, said cutting edgeextending a distance upwardly along each side edge of the blade, a stationary work support having a shoe engaging edgedisposed horizontally and parallel with the line of travel of said blade, said edge being so arranged relative to said cutting blade that the two meet at a substantially common point, said edge being formed for the reception between the sole of the sho and the previously cut wastestock material thereof whereby upon the movement of said shoe in a direction along said edge and towards saidblade the latter will first sever the waste stock materialalong the breast on the-sole around the the movement of sai being arranged substantially vertical, a staously cut waste line upon one side of the shoe and then on to the other side.

3. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having'a horizontally reciprocable cutter for severing the waste stock at a point indicating the breast line of the heel of a shoe followingan edge bevelling operation heel seat area thereof, said machine includin 'means for effecting cutter, said cutter tionary work support having a sole engagmg edge disposed horizontally and at right .angles to the plane of said cutter and meeting the latter at a point substantially even with the cutting edge of said cutter, said sole engaging edge being I formed for insertion between the sole of the shoe and the previstock material which has been severed up to said breast line whereb upon the movement of the shoe along said e ge and towards said cutter the latter will out said waste ofi as the shoe is'progressed under said cutter.

4.- A machine for operating upon the sole of a shoe following an edge bevelling operation upon the sole around the heel area and to sever the waste stock material produced by this operation transversely at' a point indicating the breast line of the heel, said machine including a reciprocatory cutting blade for severing said waste material, a holder for said blade, adjustable means for securing u said blade to said holder in a vertical position with the cutting edge of the blade at the lower end portion thereof, a stationary sole engaging edge arranged at right angles to said cutting blade and disposed immediately to the gaging edge being adapted to overlie the heel area of the sole the waste material left thereon, means for efiecting thereciprocation of said holder -whereby uponthemovement of the shoe following said edge and in a direction towards said rear of said blade, said sole enand to be positioned under blade the latter will sever the waste stock member having a horizontally arranged sole engaging edge disposed immediately to the rear of said cutter and so positioned that the cutting edge of said cutter and the work engaging edge meet substantially at a common point, said work engaging edge being adapted for insertion below the waste material to be cut and above the sole at the heel area thereof whereby upon the movement of the shoe in a direction towards said cutter and following said work engaging edge the cutter will sever the waste portion of the material on said breast line indication.

" 6. A machine'for operating upon the sole of a shoe following an edge bevelling operation on the sole of a shoe around the heel area thereof, said machine including a hori- I zontally reciprocable cutter for severing the waste stock material produced by the bevelling operation transversely at a point indicating the breast line of the heel to be subsequently attached to the shoe, a work engaging edge disposed horizontally and immediately to the rear of said cutter, said edge bein sa d cutter and meeting the lattersu stantially at the cutting edge thereof, said sole engaging edge being formed for insertion arranged at substantially right an les to v between the sole of the shoe and the previously cut waste stock thereof up to the point of said breast line indication thereby raising the waste material to a of the sole, whereby upon movement of the shoe along said work engaging edge and towards said cutter, the latter will engage the raised waste portions and cut the same off on said breast line indication. J

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature HIRAM GORDON.

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